1. Field of the Invention
The technical scope of the invention is that of protection devices to close the gun slit (or opening) of a mount.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mount is classically designed in which there is a mobile organ that extends between an internal part of the mount and the exterior through a gun slit (or opening).
When a weapon system or turret, for example, is defined for an armoured vehicle, a gun slit must be provided to enable the passage of the gun barrel. This gun slit must enable to barrel to move, generally a pivotal movement to enable it to be positioned in elevation with respect to the turret.
The gun slit is an opening that is substantially rectangular and is delimited by two lateral flanges and two end flanges. The dimensions of the gun slit are chosen according to the clearance required for the gun barrel.
It is, however, more often than not necessary for sealing to be provided for the gun slit. In fact, any water run-off from the exterior must be prevented from entering the interior of the mount. Any projections of mud or gravel likely to deteriorate the gun's positioning capacity must also be prevented.
Another major problem occurs when the vehicle or weapon system is obliged to circulate through a contaminated environment (be it nuclear, bacteriological, or chemically, such environment being commonly designed “NBC”).
It this case it is vital to prevent the passage of any contaminated materials into the vehicle or turret. This protection must not be such, however, as to prevent the weapon from pivoting and must continue to be effective during operational use.
It is also preferable for the decontamination of the terrain to be enabled, and thus any passage of liquid from the exterior to the interior of the vehicle to be prevented.
It is known to use flexible bellows integral with both the gun barrel and the flanges of the gun slit. However, these devices can not be adapted to all forms of gun slit encountered on military vehicles, and namely when the clearance angles are high (for example over 45°).